Conference pictures should be much clearer after first weekend in November

Adam is CSTV.com's football editor and national football writer.E-mail here!

Over the summer, CSTV.com will be taking a look at the college football schedule, highlighting the top matchups, the can't-miss games and the storylines that make certain contests so intriguing. Check in every Thursday for the heads-up on what games are shaping up to be the best each week, the matchups that could foul up the BCS, Heisman showcases and a few others that have piqued our interest.

You can pretty much sum up this weekend in one word: Loaded.

There are so many great games, so many crucial conference showdowns that will determine who will win their respective league. But it's the ACC this weekend that features two games that will go a long way toward determining division winners along with a pretty big one in the Big Ten and a budding rivalry plays out in the SEC.

Virginia Tech is the overwhelming favorite to win not only the ACC's Coastal Division, but also the conference's championship. But if there's a defense in the league that can stack up to the Hokies, it just may be the Yellow Jackets. These are the two top teams in the Coastal with two of the top running backs in the conference and two quarterbacks who have much to prove. And don't forget that the Yellow Jackets went into Lane Stadium last year and scored more points on the Hokies defense than anyone. And that was with Reggie Ball at QB.

Can the Trojans exact a little revenge from their loss to the Beavers last season? Well, as long as USC takes care of the ball, they should be able to handle OregonState. It was the four turnovers that doomed the Trojans in Corvallis last October, snapping their 27-game Pac-10 winning streak and 18-game road winning streak. John David Booty threw for a ton of yards that Saturday, but with an inexperienced wide receiving corps and a Beavers secondary filled with upperclassmen don't necessarily expect Booty to put up 400 yards again.

These are the two top teams in the ACC Atlantic Division, but there are more than a few people who think this could be BostonCollege's year to get to the conference championship game. After one of the most disappointing seasons under Bobby Bowden last fall, there's a lot of reason for optimism in Tallahassee. For starters, Jimbo Fisher is running the offense, thanks to Bowden's off-season overhaul of his coaching staff. But the funny thing is that Bowden was very surprised that his Seminoles were picked to win the Atlantic. So there's a little apprehension heading into the season and there will be more heading into this game when the Seminoles have to prepare for Matt Ryan. They'll also have to contend with an Eagles defense returning nine starters that held the Seminoles to only 28 yards rushing last year.

Sat., Nov. 3 - Wisconsin at OhioState

This is the first of two brutal games for the Badgers, pitting them against the Buckeyes, whom they did not play last season. After this one comes a home meeting with Michigan. If Wisconsin can get past Penn State in October, they're probably going to be undefeated entering this game in Columbus where they'll run up against what figures to be another tough Ohio State defense. This will be game will be won in the trenches as both teams will look to establish the run with inexperienced quarterbacks under center and great backs to hand the ball off to. Loser should be out of the Big Ten title race.

So Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks had a little trouble stopping the run last season, allowing over 146 yards per game. And Darren McFadden ran for 219 yards against South Carolina last November. There are still questions about whether the Gamecocks front seven can improve on their awful run defense and none concerning McFadden. One of the Heisman Trophy favorites figures to have a game where he can pad his stats a little.

Rivalry of the Week

Sat., Nov. 3 - LSU at Alabama

It's not a traditional rivalry, but since Nick Saban's now running the show in Tuscaloosa, this is going to heat up. The former LSU coach is now public enemy No. 1 in Baton Rouge - only the Trojans are hated more - after he left the Tigers for the NFL and later took the `Bama job. The knock on Les Miles is that he's won with guys Saban recruited, but now the players making the impact for LSU are Miles' and he'd love nothing more than to prove he's just as good a coach as Saban. Of course, he'll need to win a national championship to do that and Saban has a great chance to derail LSU's expected title run.